Road to Discovery
by eldritchpen
Summary: After Lucy's two humiliating loses in the GMG, she decides to take time off for herself to train. Everyone needs that time sometimes, right? Though what she didn't expect was for Master to assign Laxus to oversee her training, nor did she expect to see another side of Laxus. Perhaps it was fate that these two were brought together, or Master had a twisted sense of humor.
1. Chapter 1

**SHE MIGHT LOOK CONFIDENT** on the outside, but on the inside her anxiety was in full swing.

Lucy Heartfilia stood in front of the Fairy Tail Guild building, able to hear the normal boisterous noise from outside the large, wooden doors. With her short time being there, she knew that Fairy Tail didn't need a reason to party. They just did, and that was one of the reasons why she loved her guild so much. Not because they were the strongest, not because they were so popular, but because they were real. They were a family. People often overlooked that small detail.

It was because of that she was overly nervous about what she was about to do. She knew the outcome, knew they would try to fight her on her decision but the decision had already been made. Talking it over with Loke and Capricorn they both agreed she could use some training. Rather reluctantly, anyway, but they could both see how much those battles hurt her confidence. While she always had a lack of confidence in her magical power due to all of her friends here, she felt even more weak when she failed her battles. While she knew she could never have avoided the outcome of the Minerva battle, she still felt embarrassed about her loss with Flare. She knew she performed the spell perfectly, and knew that Raventail had cheated; but that still didn't make her feel any better about the outcome.

She wanted to become stronger. Not just for Fairy Tail, but for herself.

With that in mind, she held her chin high and opened the doors to the guild. In a matter of seconds the noise became louder, her narrowly missing a chair that was being lunged in her direction as she made her way towards the bar, being greeted by the usual cheerful Mira. "Hi Lucy!" MiraJane grinned, her eyes bright with joy. Lisanna sat at the bar, giving the Celestial Mage a small wave and a smile. "Your usual today?" She hummed as she started to make Lucy's milkshake anyway.

The blonde laughed, shaking her head. "Not today. Is Master around, by chance?" This was it. She had to go through with it, or else she would never take this time off for herself.

Mira nodded, her platinum blonde hair bouncing around her face. "Yes, he's in his office. Why do you need to see him?" She looked concerned, a frown on her pretty face. Lisanna looked concerned as well as she watched Lucy. While she hasn't known the blonde for long, she considered her a friend, and she knew Mira deeply cared for her.

Lucy swallowed nervously, giving Mira a confident smile. "I just need to talk to him about something." _Something you won't agree with_, Lucy thought warily, giving both of the Strauss girls a friendly wave. She felt eyes on her as she made her way towards the Masters office, pausing to take a deep breath before knocking on the door. She heard the shuffling of feet and a muffled "come in" and opened the door, peeking inside to see the Master sitting behind his desk; Laxus was leaning against the wall with a scowl on his face.

"Ah, Lucy, my dear. How can I help you?" The elderly man inquired, stacking a pile of papers that he had apparently been trying to do, though Lucy questioned if he was actually getting anything done.

Forcing herself inside the office, she closed the door so no one can overhear the conversation. Master raised an eyebrow and Laxus seemed intrigued about the situation. She walked over to the desk, nervously wringing her thumbs together before she took a deep breath. "I wanted to take a leave of absence," she blurted out before she lost the confidence to, cringing at how that sounded but she couldn't take it back now.

Master raised his eyebrows in surprise and Laxus followed the notion. "Whatever for, my dear?" Now he was concerned as he pushed the papers aside to focus on one of his children.

Clearing her throat, she glanced at the ground for a few minutes, thinking of what to say before glancing back up at the Master. "I want to take some time off to train. I want to become stronger. I haven't had much time to do that since running away, and Team Natsu is always going off on jobs before I can even consider taking time off to do it." Natsu was always wanting to do jobs. This had been the first real break the team has had, but Erza demanded that they all got a little bit of a break after the whole dragon debacle and the Grand Magic Games. It also gave Lucy some time to think over what she was going to do and how she would handle the situation.

The Master had a thoughtful look on his face as he hummed, glancing over at Laxus whose face had hardened. "Do you not think you are strong enough now?" The eldest Dreyar required, glancing back towards the blonde girl who was still trying to look confident in her decision.

"No," she admitted, causing both the males eyes to widen in surprise of the admission. "I've always felt this way, it's nothing new, but ever since the games..." she trailed off, wincing at the memories while Makarav's face softened at what was the breaking point for her. "It's just something I feel I need to do. For myself. I need to gain my confidence back, and the only way to do that is to train." She knew if she didn't do it now Team Natsu would be on yet another job, and while she did need the money for rent, she wanted to be able to defend herself if she needed to. Besides, she already paid three months rent to her landlord, who had greedily taken the money and didn't ask any questions where she was going. Just happy to be paid up front for once instead of waiting for the money like she usually had to do.

"I see..." The Master mused, looking thoughtful. He glanced over at Laxus, who narrowed his eyes, as if reading his grandfather's mind. "Laxus, I would like you to accompany Lucy." Lucy's eyes widened as she glanced over at Laxus nervously, who pursed his lips in aggravation.

Lucy was already shaking her head, waving her hands in front of them. "No, no! It's okay! Really! Honestly! I have my Spirits to help me train!" She didn't want Laxus doing something he obviously didn't want to do and be yet another burden. She was tired of feeling like a burden! It was why she was doing this in the first place!

Though she immediately stopped when Master gave her a hard expression. "As Master of this guild it would pain me if something were to happen while you are on this training leave. If something were to happen to one of my children, I don't know what I would do. Besides, it's technically against the rules to let someone go on their own who isn't an S-Class." Ah, so he was going to use the rule route. Of course, she should have expected that. "Do you know how long you will be gone?"

Sheepishly, Lucy scratched her right cheek. "I, uh, already gave my landlord three months worth of rent." That should be long enough to train, right?

Master nodded his head wistfully, "I see. So I should expect you back in that time, yes?" At her nod, he gave her a wide grin. "Than that's fine, as long as you come back I don't see the problem. Laxus is still going with you, however, to oversee your training." That seemed final, and she gave Laxus a nervous look who just grunted in response.

Well this was going to be an interesting three months.

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_**AN: Hey y'all! This is my debut fanfic, so bear with me! LaLu, you guessed it! At first it was going to be something else, but Master decided to take it in a whole other direction. - glares at Makarav – I'm excited to write this as LaLu is one of my favorite pairings! :D So I hope you all enjoy this and let me know your thoughts! **_


	2. Chapter 2

**JUST AS LUCY HAD EXPECTED**, there was a shit storm when the guild found out she was leaving for a while. Everyone rushing to tell her she was plenty strong and that she didn't have to leave. Team Natsu had thrown a fit, Natsu specifically because instead of him going it was Laxus and he didn't like that. Not one bit. However, the guild was silenced from one look and a lightning bolt to shut them up – telling them this was her decision and if she wanted to take this time to train, than she could. While the guild was still upset Lucy felt the need to take a leave of absence, they respected it. Though it was only after Laxus said something, which mildly irritated her, but she tried not to let it show it did on the outside.

So, after consoling a crying Happy and reassuring the cat she was coming back, doing the same with Wendy she went to her apartment and started to get things packed. Virgo had come out on her own and helped her, keeping mild conversation with her holder. The Maiden Spirit explained some of the things they were going to be working on, according to what Capricorn thought she needed worked on and Lucy listened intently. She was ready to learn new spells. It's what she wanted, but first she planned on getting some new spirit friends to add to her collection.

She had been saving money to be able to buy new keys, and her dad left her a rather large sum of cash when he died. While a lot of that went to paying the seven years she had been gone of rent, there was still a lot left that she could use for spending pleasure. But she also wanted to be frugal with this money. So she had to spend wisely and not overspend.

Letting Virgo take her bags to the Celestial Realm, Lucy glanced around her room to make sure she got everything she needed. She brought her book, in case she wanted to write while she was training on her downtime. Extra paper and envelopes so she can continue writing letters to her mom, and just recently added her dad. All her clothes and other supplies Virgo had also taken to the Celestial Realm to store them there. Laxus told her she had a few hours to pack before they were meeting at the train, and she had no idea where they were going. She had no knowledge of places where she could train without hurting people, so Laxus was taking her to one of his secluded spots where he often went to train his magic. He had told here there was also a waterfall and a river, so that would be perfect for summoning Aquarius whenever she had to train with her. Though she was already cringing at those training lessons. Her bones were already crying, because Capricorn tended to be a little harsh with training, but she had asked for this so she was going to take it like a mage should.

Nodding her head, she touched her keys gently, smiling softly when they glowed; their way of showing they loved her. She had a strong bond with each of her spirits. It was why she had been so reluctant to take Yukino's when she had asked her to, because she knew Yukino's spirits loved her just as much as her spirits did. In the end she was glad she didn't take the keys when Sabertooth wanted her back.

Soon she was walking down the sidewalk, waving at the boaters who were sailing down the river, as usual telling her to be careful as she balanced herself on the sidewalk. She giggled, telling them she will, as usual. It was the usual routine, and she would miss it after being gone for three months. It was like she knew them, even though she had no real knowledge of who they were.

When she made it to the train station, she didn't see Laxus on the platform. So she walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, waiting for her traveling companion to arrive. She would have just went and found as secluded area with a river if Master hadn't ordered Laxus to come with her. She was confused as to why the elderly Dreyar did, but didn't question it. It was better not too.

So she people watched, storing away unique traits that she can use for her characters in her own novel. She smiled when she saw a little girl and a women come off the train, the little girl eager to explore a new town while the women who she assumed to be the little girls mother laughed. It was nice, to see people so care-free. Especially after everything that Lucy had gone through, with her future self dying and the dragons.

"Lucy." A gruff voice called out her name, making her snap her head up. Laxus stood in front of her with a bag behind him as he stared down at her with a hard gaze. "C'mon, lets go." Quickly Lucy stood up, following the man closely behind to get on the train.

"I was wondering if we can stop somewhere so I can get some new keys," Lucy asked politely, following Laxus to where their cart was – which was all the way in the back. Apparently, The Thunder God Tribe had their own cart, which was nice. That would be nice for Natsu's little problem, but everyone who knew them already knows about it. It just could be mildly embarrassing to have a sick dragon slayer laying on your lap, trying not to hurl.

Laxus gave her a glance, before huffing softly. "Sure. In a couple of towns we can see if there's a shop." Lucy beamed at him and surprisingly, he gave a soft smile back before hardening his features again. He put on his headphones, leaning back into his seat – probably trying to control his motion sickness. To Lucy's knowledge, every dragon slayer had it and the stronger you were, the worse it got.

Lucy got comfortable, not knowing how long they were going to be on the train and an a finger over her keys. Virgo popped up in a flash. "How can I help you? Punishment?"

Laughing, Lucy shook her head, blushing when Laxus gave her a look at the question. "Can you grab me my book, please?" Bowing, Virgo disappeared and Lucy could feel Laxus' gaze on her. She glanced over at him and he raised an eyebrow. "What?" She wondered out loud, confused as to why he was looking at her like that.

"You abuse your spirits?" He asked bluntly and she spluttered.

"N-No! Of course not! It's just something Virgo asks, I've grown used to it and so has my team. I forget that not everyone is used to her weird quirks." Lucy shrugged, thanking Virgo when she came back with her book. "Virgo, this is Laxus. We'll be traveling with him for some time. Laxus, this is Virgo, one of my most trusted spirits." The blonde girl stated proudly, and Virgo gave Laxus a blank stare.

"You'll be traveling with Princess for a duration of time?" The Maiden wondered, and Lucy blushed when Laxus gave her a look at the nickname. "Please take care of our Princess. She tends to get herself into sticky situations and we would be devastated if something were to happen to our favorite Key Holder."

Laxus smirked at the spirit while Lucy's jaw dropped, aghast at what her spirit just asked of Laxus. "I'll do what I can."

Virgo nodded. "Nice to meet you than, Dragon Slayer. I'll tell Big Brother that you are coming along, he'll want to know." Lucy groaned at the mention of her telling Loke but before she can tell her not too, Virgo vanished.

"Big Brother?" Laxus echoed, glancing over to Lucy who sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"Loke." She answered shortly with a scowl. "And I apologize for whatever the Tom Cat will try to do while you're here." Loke had the tendency to be overly protective of her, and overly dramatic of his affections. Especially when there was another man in the room.

"I didn't realize Loke had a sister." Lucy laughed at that, shaking at the irony and Laxus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"They aren't really siblings. I mean, Loke does have a younger brother, but Loke and Virgo aren't related." That she knew of, but she was pretty sure they weren't related in any sense.

An 'O' shape formed on Laxus' mouth and he shook his head. "Are all your spirits weird?" He wondered out loud and Lucy smirked at the question. The obvious answer was _yes_, but she was going to let him see himself just how weird her spirits could be.

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_**AN: Enjoying writing this already, and only two chapters in. And wrote three chapters in one day, one for this fic and another chapter for another fic, and now this chapter I am on a roll! **_

_**Also, thanks so much for the reads and reviews! I wasn't expecting such a turn out when posting this, and I love you all so much! I'm glad you seem to already be enjoying this! :) **_

_**P.S. Sorry for the double upload. I thought I had caught all the mistakes, and I guess I hadn't. **_


	3. Chapter 3

**TRUE TO HIS WORD, LAXUS HAD THEM** stop at the next few towns over. He was trailing behind her as her eyes carefully scanned the town, lighting up when she found what she was looking for. A magical shop that would hopefully have a few keys she could add to her collection. With determination in her eyes, she made her way towards the shop – the door dinging as she entered.

It was a small shop with little trinkets for magical purposes. A few spell-books, magical clothing and the works. Lucy glanced around in awe, Laxus slowly walking beside her. "Ah, how can I help you?" The sound of an elderly voice caught her attention and she turned to see an elderly man standing at a counter. He seemed to be stocking up on something and he beamed at the sight of them, pleased to have costumers.

Lucy gave him a warm smile. "Hi. I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage and I was wondering if you had any keys?"

"A Celestial Spirit Mage, huh?" The shop owner mused, giving her a once over. "Rare to see them nowadays. You're in luck, I have a few." He waved her over and she obliged, following him to a glass case that held some trinkets. She beamed when she saw a few silver keys glistening in the case, glancing them over. "These are the ones I have. What are you looking for, exactly?"

"Just some new friends to add to my family," she glanced around the case, there was five though she already had the Nikora key.

"Friends, huh?" The man inquired, giving the girl a respectful look. "Most Celestial Mages use their Spirits as tools."

Lucy scowled at that, placing a protective hand over her keys. "They are my friends, not tools or shields. I fight with my spirits." She repeated the mantra to everyone that suggested otherwise, not wanting to be looped with the other mages that treated their spirits poorly.

The man nodded in approval, glancing over at her keys. "You have quite a few for such a young mage," he complimented, his eyes twinkling.

"I got them all fairly," she interjected and the shop keeper laughed, his eyes bright at her boldness.

"I wasn't saying you didn't," he teased and she blushed at jumping to conclusions. He hummed as she looked around, and she had already decided to get the four that she didn't have. "I have something that might be of use to you, Star Maiden." She glanced up at him, surprised at the name he gave her as he disappeared into the back for a few minutes before coming back. "If you ever get your keys taken during a fight, this will bring them back. Think of it as a summoning charm for your keys," he grinned at the blonde, handing her the trinket. Lucy took it gently, examining it. It was a bracelet with beautiful star pendants littering it, and Lucy stared at it in awe. "It's yours. We don't get much Celestial Mages coming into the shop and it's a small item. Useful for your kind."

Her mouth parted at that. "I couldn't," she interjected, staring at the bracelet. It would sure come in handy and she wish she had this during her battle with Minerva. It would have helped when she took her keys, making Lucy defenseless.

"Take it. It's yours," the shop-keeper insisted and Lucy gave him a bright smile, clasping the bracelet onto her wrist – the one that held her guild mark proudly. "Ah, you're a Fairy Tail mage! I thought I recognized you! I take it the male behind you is Laxus Dreyar?" Laxus grunted in confirmation, having been quiet sense the whole ordeal began. "Than I am more than obliged to let you have the bracelet. Have you found the keys you want to purchase?" Lucy nodded her head, a small smile on her face as she picked the four she didn't have.

Lucy bowed at the shop-keeper after all of her purchases have been done. "Thank you, kind sir. I appreciate this!" She grinned, examining the new keys on her key-chain as they glowed. She was more than excited to see what they could offer for her, and she was excited to get to know them as people.

Laughing the shop-keeper waved her off. "It's no trouble at all miss. Thank you for bringing me business, and where-ever you're going I hope good things happen for you!" With another wave the duo left the shop, Lucy bouncing in her step as she examined her new friends.

Vulpecula, the fox constellation. Andromeda, the chained princess. Apus, the bird of paradise. Last but not least, Lupus, the wolf. All she was sure with a unique set of personalities and abilities that would be useful to her in battle. She simply couldn't wait to get to know her new friends and have them become members of her family.

She heard Laxus chuckling behind her and she turned her head, raising a delicate eyebrow at the man. "What's so funny?" She wondered, enjoying the care-free look on his face. He never looked care-free like this unless he was in battle, or training. Honestly she can't remember a time when she's seen him smile in the guild, even when he was with his team.

"You seem to have a way with people," he shrugged casually, and Lucy could have sworn she saw a tint of a blush on his cheeks. "How about we get something to eat before heading towards our destination? I, for one, am starving and can use some grub." Without waiting for her reply, he took off towards the direction of a restaurant and Lucy rolled her eyes, following after him.

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_**AN: The extra keys were basically random choices. I was looking up some constellations, though I knew I wanted to use Vulpecula and Andromeda. Lupus was random, and I found Apus on the website I was on. I am excited to make personalities for those Spirits and write them and add their characters to the ongoing ones that are already here. **_

_**I appreciate all of you and thank you for the lovely reviews! I see you ghost readers as well, and you guys give me motivation to write, knowing you enjoy this fanfic even tho you aren't commenting. So thank you! **_


	4. Chapter 4

**THE MEAL WITH LAXUS** wasn't as awkward as Lucy thought it was going to be initially. Surprisingly, Laxus held a conversation – just a getting to know you dinner, exchanging stories of their teams and having a good time. Everything Lucy thought of Laxus was thrown for a loop at his care-free attitude away from the guild. People always saw him as this scary guy with no real personality, when in the end he was just miss-understood like most of their guild mates.

"I want to say I am surprised, but I can totally see Bickslow doing something like that to Freed..." Lucy giggled, her eyes bright as Laxus wore an amused smirk on his face.

"It was an ongoing battle for a while," Laxus chuckled, cutting into his steak and forking a piece into his mouth. "Freed literally stayed up for a few days because he was afraid Bickslow was going to do something else to his hair. No one messes with his hair."

Lucy giggled, twirling a piece of pasta onto her fork. "I remember everyone was so surprised when he cut his hair off because he felt so sorry for what he did. It took everyone to get him to grow out his hair back. Good thing I had Cancer, he's a whiz with hair!" Cancer never let her go to a hair dresser or let someone else do her hair, because according to him because she was his holder he was the only one meant to do her hair. Which she didn't mind – he took only minutes to do even the most extravagant hairstyles. She used him for any of her fathers galas, when she was forced to go because of suitors being there. He had always hated the fact she would use magic for anything, but as long as she complied to whatever he wanted, she could use her magic if it helped him. It was always about _him_ after mama had died, and she still resented him for that a little. She could never hate him though. He was still her father, after all, and he had changed. Or was trying to become better.

"Bickslow took a picture for blackmail." Sounds like something the Seith Mage would do, alright. "I don't know what he would need blackmail for on Freed, but I've learned it's best not to question Bickslow when he's up to something." Again, also true. While Lucy hasn't really had the chance to get to know the infamous Fairy Tail team, she has had some interactions with Bickslow. Mainly because he liked to tease her about Loke and give her a hard time. Which she didn't mind much, even if it was a little bit embarrassing to put up with. She was glad that the team seemed to be opening up more, she even had a few conversations with Evergreen. Freed though was a hard nut to crack, Lucy could never tell when she could walk up to him and start a conversation. They held the same likes with literature, but he wasn't as open as the others.

_Probably takes after Laxus, _Lucy mused as she watched the dragon slayer eat the last bit of his steak and work on his salad. He was devoted to his leader, after all. They all were, in a sense, and Lucy wondered how they all got to be together. They seemed to all have vastly different personalities, though the same could be said about her team. Though Natsu and Gray were more alike than they liked to think and would adamantly deny it if that thought was said out loud.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" His voice brought her out of her reverie. He had a raised eyebrow, intrigued by what she could have been thinking about.

Lucy blushed, she seemed to be doing that a lot around the dragon slayer these days. "I-I was just thinking about how different your team was from each other," and other memories that she had made at Fairy Tail. Running away was the right thing to do, even if it had put her guild in such turmoil her first month joining. She didn't mean to cause such a fuss, and they had all understood why she kept that part of her life a secret from them. It wasn't something she was necessarily proud of. She loved her family, but her dad just had a weird way of showing his love after mama had died.

Laxus chuckled at that, "we are a unique bunch," he admitted, smirking. "I actually offered all of them a place in Fairy Tail when I found them. It's why we're a team in the first place." Ah, that makes sense.

"You found them?" Lucy tilted her head in curiosity. She knew most of Fairy Tail were all runaways or orphans, which made her a little bit sad at acknowledging that, but it made her feel that much at home. Knowing that they all had something in common. Cana, she knew, made her way to Fairy Tail cause Guildarts was there and he was her father. The others didn't talk about their past a lot, and Lucy would be lying if she wasn't intrigued on how they all made their way to the guild.

Nodding, Laxus took a sip of his beer. "That's right, I brought them all to Fairy Tail because I knew they would be great members of the guild. I wanted to mold them into what I wanted them to be," he admitted reluctantly, sighing, "but I saved them and gave them a home, in the end. We were all lost, in a way, and I guess I just gravitated towards them because of that." Lucy listened intently, shoveling a fork full of her pasta into her mouth.

"Freed is a runaway, just like you. The Justine's were a powerful family, and still are. His parents, or rather his father wanted him to take over their business. Freed didn't want that and he was on his way somewhere to find a life for himself. I saved him from getting mauled by a Wyvern," Lucy's eyes widened at that. Freed was like her, in a sense. "Evergreen was kicked out of her family home for being a mage. Her family didn't approve of magic and didn't tolerate her attitude," Laxus chuckled and Lucy smiled faintly at that. "Bickslow isn't from Fiore. He's from another country called Bosco. They were undergoing some troubled times and he just wanted a fresh start and I found him backpacking his way through Fiore. I found all my teammates, and wanted to give them a better life. No matter how bad of an asshole I was back than." He seemed to really regret his past mistakes, and Lucy's heart pinged for him. She had forgiven him right away, as well as the others.

Swallowing her last fork full of pasta, she placed her hand on his arm comfortingly. Laxus jerked at the sudden touch, his eyes wide as he glanced at her with curiosity in his gaze. "You were just lost and didn't know where you were. I was there once," she fell quiet for a few minutes before speaking up again, "I forgave you guys a long time ago. As well as the other members, though I won't lie and say it didn't take longer for them to forgive and forget what you did. I know you only wanted what was best for the guild."

His gaze softened at her and he actually smiled. _He should smile more often, _Lucy thought, her heart picking up at the affectionate look the blond was giving her. "Thanks Lucy." He patted her hand with his larger ones and that was when Lucy vowed to get to know Laxus as a person.

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_**AN: So I took Bickslow's background a little from Desna, but I'm not adding any of the Pradesh family into this fic. I didn't know where Bickslow should have came from so that was just a random shot. XD I was going to use Seven, but decided against it. Evergreen's background was also just made up on the spot, but I seen Freed's background a lot in fics and decided to just go with that. **_

_**I hope you liked this! Leave a comment, and I adore you ghost readers! Thank you for the reviews guys, it means so much to me that you are enjoying this fic! I am enjoying writing it! :) **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**AFTER A COUPLE HOURS MORE OF RIDING BY TRAIN**_, Lucy and Laxus stood in a big clearing on the way to the training arena. Laxus said that they had a couple hours walk from there to where he was taking her, but she couldn't wait to meet her new friends and have them join her family. She wasn't sure how big these spirits were going to be so they found a big area for when she summoned them. She didn't think they were going to be too big, but she wanted to be sure that they had enough room for when she summoned them.

Laxus was sitting Indian styled behind her, watching as she took a stance. Taking a deep breath, she put the first key out in front of her. "Open, Gate of the Fox – Vulpecula!" In a flash of golden light, a little girl appeared wearing a white-and-red kimono. She had fox-like ears and tail, bright amber eyes that held mischief in them and wore a pair of gold hoop earrings.

"Hello!" Her voice was child-like as she wore a beaming smile. "I'm Vulpecula! I take it you summoned me?" She wondered, tilting her head to the side as she glanced around. "Where are we, exactly?" Curiosity was in the spirits voice as her eyes were wide with wonder.

Lucy laughed, leaning down to her level. "Yes. Hi, I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I was wondering if you wanted to make a contract with me?" Lucy never forced any spirit to make a contract. It was always their decision whether or not they wanted to. She has never had a spirit say no in wanting to make one, but there was always a first time for everything.

The fox-like girls eyes lit up at the name. "Oh! You're the one the Zodiac all call Princess, correct?" Lucy blushed, nodding her head in confirmation as the fox-girl beamed even brighter. "Every spirit wants to be contracted by you! The Zodiac holds high regards to you, even Aquarius but don't tell her I told you that!" The girl giggled in glee, her eyes sparkling at Lucy.

"Really? I always thought Aquarius hated me..." Lucy mumbled underneath her breath, though clearly the spirit in front of her heard her as she giggled. "So I take it that you do want to make a contract?" Vulpecula nodded her head eagerly, her tail twitching in anticipation as Lucy brought out a small notebook that had all of her spirits notes inside. She turned to a clean page, pulling out her small pen that she had with the notebook. "Alright, when can I summon you?"

"I'm free anytime to make mischief!" The girl quipped, a grin on her face. "I don't want to miss out on anything! I am an illusionist! I can make anything appear real and freak a lot of people out." Lucy nodded her head as she jotted that down, a grin erupted on her face. "I can do whatever you need me to do, even if we're not in battle," the vixen stated impishly and Lucy laughed at that, giving Vulpecula a beaming smile.

"I might have to take you up on that offer when we get back home." She could easily think of a thousand scenarios on the top of her head to use that on, and she was sure her new fox friend would be more than willing to help her.

Vulpecula grinned at her new key-holder, already liking her style. "The others are excited to meet you as well! I'm only a call away if you need me!" Lucy nodded and with that, the fox girl was gone in a pit of gold smoke.

"That was interesting." Lucy jumped at the gruff voice, almost forgetting that Laxus was there as she turned her head to see his interested gaze. She was so in her element that she forgot he was watching, though he actually looked intrigued by the situation. Natsu, when he had watched her summon Plue, was pathetically bored of the situation. He didn't understand how sacred summoning a first spirit was, and it kind of hurt her that he didn't seem interested. Laxus, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the interaction. Though, she had to admit, Vulpecula was more interesting than Plue - at first glance. She loved all her spirits equally though, no matter how many times one tried to kill her with a current or two. "So you don't just force spirits to do anything?" The dragon slayer inquired. Normally she would have been pissed at such a question, but he seemed genuinely interested so she was going to let this slide. Just this once.

"No," she placed Vulpecula's key back where it originally was, picking up Andromeda's key next to summon her. Vulpecula barely made a dent in her magic pool, and that made Lucy kind of proud of herself, though she was a silver key. They didn't take much magic to summon, but they could be just as strong as the golden keys. "They are people, just like us. You've met Loke. He has a personality of his own, his own morals, likes and dislikes. They feel pain, like we do. Just because they don't die from impacts that might kill us doesn't make them any less human." Lucy respected that from her spirits, and they understood that as well. It was why she was held such high regard in the spirit realm. There wasn't many Celestial Spirit Mages that did that for their spirits, the closest ones that she could think of were Princess Hisui and Yukino.

Laxus pursed his lips at that explanation. "Also didn't know that he was a spirit, but Bickslow said he had him figured out. I knew he was different, I could smell it, but couldn't really pin-point what it was so I left it alone. It wasn't really any of my business what he was anyways, as long as he didn't hurt the Guild in any way." Ah, so he did care, even back than. Lucy had a feeling he did, and she was sure if Bickslow tried anything he would have put a stop to it immediately.

"He was also killing himself being out for so long without a holder..." Lucy stated sadly, smiling softly when his key began to glow, stating he was listening to the conversation. "He was sticking up for something that he believed in. If it wasn't for me he would have disappeared that one day." She couldn't let that happen. Sure, she didn't know the guy very well and he annoyed her, but he was still a Fairy Tail member. She still considered him a friend, even back than, so she couldn't just let Loke disappear because of his _morals_. Laxus' eyes widened at that, bringing a new light to the lion spirit. He had just thought he was an arrogant playboy, but apparently he was much more than meets the eye.

Lucy cleared her throat at the touchy subject. "Anyway," she held Andromeda's key out in front of her, "open! Gate of the Chained Princess! Andromeda!" In typical fashion there was a bright light that indicated that a Spirit was being summoned. Laxus had to shield his face from the bright light, but Lucy was used to it. A girl with long, black hair that fell to her hips stood in front of Lucy. Chains adjoined her wrists and she wore an old style dark-blue battle dress with a gold belt wrapped around the middle, and a pair of black Greek Sandals. "Hello, I'm-" Lucy started but was interrupted by the spirit with a soft smile.

"I know who you are. You're Lucy Heartfilia, or otherwise known as the Princess of the Spirit Realm." Andromeda stated warmly, a respectful smile sitting on her lips. "Everyone talks about you. You're the ancestor of Anna Heartfilia, and Layla Heartfilia's daughter." At that Lucy blinked, astonished that this spirit knew her mother. "They were both nice women. You resemble Anna a lot."

"You knew Anna?" Lucy wondered, eyes wide. She's heard stories about her, but she had died long before Lucy was ever born. There was a book in her fathers mansion that her mother would read from time to time and it was always intriguing to know how their ancestors dealt with Celestial magic. Anna was a famous Celestial Spirit Mage and she had once held all twelve Zodiac spirits at once. However, Lucy didn't know much about her other than the fact she was held in high regards as well.

"I was held by her," Andromeda nodded her head proudly, "and I would be honored to serve you as well. I've heard great things about you, Princess. You can call me during the weekdays. I am much like Virgo with Earth magic, but I have lived a long life and can tell you a lot as well. I am also a tracker and am great with hand-to-hand combat." Lucy nodded, jotting everything down in her spirit notebook. She wanted to know more about Anna, but honestly she didn't know where to start. Andromeda gave her a soft look, probably knowing her train of thought. "Anything else you would like to know I will tell you, but from what Vulpy has told me you have two more spirits to summon, correct?" Lucy blinked, wondering how that mischievous fox knew she had two other spirits to summon. "I won't take anymore of your magic today, Princess. I am looking forward to serving you." With that she was gone, leaving the youngest Heartfilia girl stunned at what she had just learned.

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_**AN: It was getting long, so we get Vulpecula and Andromeda in this chapter and I can honestly say I am thrilled with what I have wrote! Just to note none of this is planned, so Andromeda was a pleasant surprise with the information she had and I actually like it a lot. It's screaming sequel. XD **_

_**Lupus and Apus will be in the next chapter. I didn't know what powers to give Andromeda. If you guys have any suggestions, that would be lovely and I can just change it in the next chapters when she gets summoned and let you guys know that I have changed it, but for now I like her having Earth magic, being a tracker and hand-to-hand combat seems like a perfect combo for the spirit. **_

_**As always, let me know in the comment section if you enjoyed it, and you ghost readers I see you too. Thank you for picking up this fanfiction! It means a lot to me that you enjoy reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it! :) **_

_**P.S. I wanted to update this earlier, but I haven't had the internet to do so. So I apologize for the wait! We ordered new internet but it got pushed back unfortunately, but at least I have it updated! :) **_


	6. Chapter 6

**SHAKING HERSELF OUT OF HER REVERIE, **Lucy took a deep breath before pulling out the Lupus key. "I'll have to ask her more questions later, but she's right. Open!" Taking the stance, the key began to glow with her magic, "Gate of the Wolf, Lupus!" In a flash of golden light, a man stood in front of her. Dark skin tone, about 6'0, well toned – not as big as Laxus, but a little bigger than say Gray or Sting. He had long, black shaggy hair that fell just below his chin. Wolf ears and tail, sharp teeth, amber eyes. He wore dark gray pants with a black t-shirt.

His eyes were sharp as they glanced around the place before landing on Lucy. If she were being honest, he was kind of handsome, but she would never date one of her spirits. She had told as much to Loke, who was still put out by that fact but he continued to flirt with her, regardless.

Clearing her throat, she gave the wolf a beaming smile. "Hello, I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I was wondering if you wanted to make a contract with me?" Lupus continued to analyze Lucy, his head tilted to the side like a curious puppy. "Uh, Lupus?" She wondered, blinking.

That cracked a grin from the wolf and he bowed. "Ah, Princess Lucy. It's a pleasure to meet you. You may call me any day of the week besides Monday and Sunday. I have Shadow magic, and can easily see in the dark." Jotting down that information, Lucy nodded.

Lupus vanished after that and Lucy breathed in deeply. She could feel the magic draining, and she had to be careful with how long she let Apus out. "Do you need a break, Lucy?" Laxus called out worriedly, a frown on his face. He remembered what Freed said about Celestial Magic. How it drained your magic with every spirit you called out, and so far she's called out three in one day and sitting. That was a lot, and she had to be feeling the effects by now.

Lucy gave the dragon slayer a smile. "I'll be okay to let out another spirit. I have one left," she waved Apus' key at him and he just rolled his eyes, knowing nothing he would say would get her to take a break. After all, she was on Team Natsu for a reason. Just as stubborn as her teammates. "Open! Gate of the Bird of Paradise, Apus!" In front of her stood a beautiful woman; long, pale blue hair that fell to her waist put up in a high-pony tail. Pale blue eyes, pale skin. She wore a white dress with bird feathers littering it, a little feather accessory in her hair. "Hello, I'm Lucy Heartfilia. Would you like to make a contract with me?"

The Bird of Paradise's eyes twinkled when she saw the key holder, bowing respectfully. "Miss Heartfilia, it would be an honor to make a contract with you. You may call me any day besides Mondays and Tuesdays. I have wind magic, and can transform into a bird for easy transportation. If you need to go somewhere, well, I'm your bird!" Her eyes twinkled at the joke, and Lucy couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "We've heard many stories about you. It's thanks to you that our Leo still lives and for that we all thank you."

Blushing, Lucy gave Apus a beaming smile. "It was no trouble at all. I couldn't let one of my friends disappear."

Apus gave her new key holder a warm smile. "Friend," the smile on the spirits face grew bigger. "I've heard about your light, Miss Heartfilia, but seeing it up close is fascinating."

"Please, Apus, call me Lucy. Or Princess, the others do..." Lucy mumbled the last bit underneath her breath with a roll of her eyes.

"Lucy, than." Apus tested the name on her tongue, nodding her head. "It is nice to meet you, Lucy. I cannot wait to work with you in the future." The Bird of Paradise bowed. "I will leave now to let you rest, but I take it you are on a job now?" The spirit questioned with a tilt of her head.

"No. Training leave," she informed her new friend and Apus' eyes lit up at that.

"I see, so we made it on your squad just in time for training!" Apus clapped her hands joyfully and Lucy laughed at her newfound enthusiasm. "We get to see how strong you'll become, this is exciting!" A grin formed on Apus' face. "Well than, Lucy, I cannot wait to see how far you'll come." With a bow she disappeared and Lucy sagged a little.

"Come over here, blondie." Laxus had gotten out some of the traveling food that he had brought, a smirk on his face. Lucy rolled her eyes but obliged, feeling a little peckish after all that summoning. He handed her a bag of chips and she took it, opening the bag and popping on in her mouth hungrily. He also handed her a water bottle which she took gingerly, thanking him and guzzling a little bit of the liquid. "That was interesting. The spirits seem to praise you a lot," the lightning slayer commented, also ripping open a bag of chips.

Lucy shrugged nonchalantly, "ever since I saved Loke it's been that way. I changed a law, or rather the law, in the spirit realm. Plus, I guess word had gotten around that I don't let my spirits call me Master or Mistress." It just didn't feel right to her. Her spirits were her friends, she didn't control them. Well, she did to a certain extent, but she wasn't asking them to be her slave. She genuinely wanted to be their friend and make them apart of her family.

Laxus looked impressed when she mentioned she changed a law. "The Spirit King just let you do that?" He wondered with a raised eyebrow.

"I even call him Stache Face," Lucy giggled at the nickname, "you should have seen Loke's face when I first called him that. The Spirit King seems to enjoy having a nickname so I haven't tried changing it, or stopped calling him that." She looked up to him, the Spirit King. He looked over all the spirits in the Spirit Realm, which was _a lo_t. She often wondered how he was able to keep up such a feat, especially with spirits as mischievous as Vulpecula or Loke, even. Even Virgo had a mischievous streak, and Lucy didn't force her spirits to change their personalities.

All too soon they had to keep on going, and Lucy was proud to say not once did she think to bring out Horologium like she normally would have when hiking. When they finally made it to their destination, Lucy glanced around in awe. It was a beautiful training field – a waterfall with a lake, perfect for summoning Aquarius, big open fields perfect for training her magic and learning new spells.

"I come here to train. It's easy to get away from town and I don't accidentally end up zapping someone with lightning," he chuckled at that, taking pride in his training field. "I found it on accident one day when I was traveling while being expelled from the guild. Not even my teammates know about this place, we went somewhere else to train for the games." Lucy was touched that Laxus showed her this, even when his teammates didn't know about it. Which meant she would have to keep this a secret, though that was something she was good at doing.

Today she would rest and get stuff set up to camp out here. Tomorrow, she would start on her training.

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_**AN: I'm glad you guys seem to be enjoying the story! :) I'm enjoying writing it, and creating content for you guys to read! And you ghost readers, I see you too so thank you for taking the time out of your day to view this little spec on this website! 3 **_


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